As a philosophy and religion major at Truman, you learn critical thinking skills, conduct collaborative research with faculty, extend your learning beyond the classroom, and meet like-minded peers at conferences both on and off campus. Truman also offers a philosophy and religion minor.

Explore the Nature of Reality

Have you ever thought about questions like the following?

Are our actions free, or are they determined by social, cultural, or physical forces?

How do religion and science differ (if they do) in their approaches to seeking truth?

Where do ethical values come from? What actions count as morally permissible?

In what ways have humans changed over time in their worldviews?

What do we know, and are there limits to human knowledge? Could we be radically deceived about the world, like Neo in "The Matrix"?

How do world religions differ in their spiritual practices? How are they the same?

If questions like these keep you up late at night, then the Philosophy and Religion major may be your ticket to intellectual nirvana. Learn to write persuasively about topics like these, speak and listen in ways that promote understanding, and read productively while balancing openness and critical reflection. You earn a Bachelor of Arts degree (and since philosophy and religion integrates so well with other academic areas, nearly half of our students pursue a second degree).

Experience the impact you can make by conducting research in philosophy and religion studies and submitting a paper to a conference of your peers, such as Truman’s Undergraduate Philosophy and Religion Conference held on campus each year. You can also enrich your educational experience at Truman through study abroad and internships

Prepare Yourself for Real Life

There is no major more practical and marketable than Philosophy and Religion. To understand any human cultural system—whether political, social, scientific, economic, or psychological—we need to learn to recognize and analyze the philosophical and religious beliefs and assumptions grounding that system. And we prepare our majors to excel in the skills of critical and integrative thinking, communication, and creativity that employers and graduate schools are seeking.

Seminar Facilitator: Natalie Alexander All sessions in Ophelia Parrish 2121 Monday 20 April: 4:30-4:55 Sam Walk Respondent: Adam Davis Director: David Murphy Merton: On Comparative Contemplation and Context Abstract: In the following essay, I argue that although Merton’s attempts at comparative contemplation are to be commended on multiple grounds by […]